Semiconductor devices are used in a variety of electronic applications, such as personal computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronic equipment. Semiconductor devices are typically fabricated by sequentially depositing insulating or dielectric layers, conductive layers, and semiconductive layers of material over a semiconductor substrate, and patterning the various material layers using lithography to form circuit components and elements thereon. Many integrated circuits are typically manufactured on a single semiconductor wafer, and individual dies on the wafer are singulated by sawing between the integrated circuits along a scribe line. The individual dies are typically packaged separately, in multi-chip modules, for example, or in other types of packaging.
Nano-electro mechanical system (NEMS) devices have recently been developed. NEMS devices include devices fabricated using semiconductor technology to form mechanical and electrical features. Examples of the NEMS devices include gears, levers, valves, and hinges. The NEMS devices are implemented in accelerometers, pressure sensors, microphones, actuators, mirrors, heaters, and/or printer nozzles.
Although existing NEMS device structures and methods of fabricating the same have generally been adequate for their intended purpose, they have not been entirely satisfactory in all respects.